Watch Ken Burns' documentary series on the American Revolution, which tells its story through the lives of soldiers, civilians, enslaved people, Native nations, and international allies.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement.

A virtual tour of Philadelphia’s American Revolution Museum

Philadelphia’s Old City hosts one of the largest museums on the American Revolution. This virtual tour allows you to view the museum’s exhibits as if you were there by zooming in on descriptions, browsing images, and learning about artifacts, portraits, and more.

Debunking myths about the American Revolution

The history of the American Revolution and the establishment of democracy are proudly taught in the US, but a number of incorrect details continue to be circulated. This article debunks some of the myths that persist in the public consciousness, like the idea that the war was solely driven by taxes or that Paul Revere was the only rider warning the rebels about the British.

Ken Burns believes country music is an essential American art form

Ken Burns’ massive 2019 miniseries “Country Music” explores the genre and its rich history. In this interview with writer Walter Isaacson, Burns explains what drew him to country, his definition of this “mongrel” music, and why he considers it to be an integral part of American culture.

The American Revolution became a template for a colonized world

The robust and radical transformation during the American Revolution created a template for dozens of future independence movements. Its key ideas of republicanism, individualism, and equality inspired revolutions in France, Haiti, Ireland, and more, paving the way for the broadly democratic world we know today.

Explore 'The Presidents' collection

PBS's "The Presidents" collection profiles America's leaders through award-winning documentaries, interviews, and archival footage. The series captures how each president reflected the nation's values, crises, and culture while shaping the office's power and legacy.

Visualize every day of the American Civil War, in which fighting took place in a majority of the country.

Revolutionary War reenactments have taken place for centuries

The first known reenactment of the war occurred in 1778, while the war was still ongoing. A journal entry from a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army remarked that soldiers had commemorated a “Glorious victory obtained over the British” at Saratoga with “a Grand sham fight.”

Hear firsthand stories from the Civil War

Historian and storyteller Fred Kiger narrates detail-rich episodes exploring overlooked people and moments of the Civil War—bringing listeners onto battlefields and into strategy rooms and offering insight into the lives of those who lived the conflict.

How a 2025 Netflix documentary reveals the contested view of the Vietnam War

Brian Knappenberger created a five-part, seven-hour documentary on the war released on the streamer in 2025, the latest in a tradition of hundreds of documentaries covering the event. Expert Thomas Bass, the author of the essay, was invited to be interviewed for the documentary, arguing the conflict's origins are the most crucial aspects to understand. In turn, Bass interviewed Knappenberger—whose father fought in the war—on the Netflix production. Their discussion revealed how streamers mediate historical understanding to a generation that does not have a consensus on what the Vietnam War was.

Some colonies were centuries-old before they broke from Britain

The revolution did not happen overnight, but was a culmination of centuries of settlement, policies, and war in North America. This timeline provides key, fascinating events from the 1600s through the Revolution in a smooth, easy-to-read interface.

37 maps that explain the American Civil War

This collection of 37 maps tells the story of the American Civil War as well as any historical account. See how and where the war began and why, and where the major battles were fought. Discover how the North achieved victory and the many ways the war changed America forever.

The causes of American rebellion were multifaceted

British taxes on colonists to pay for the French and Indian War were just one element. Thousands of miles of separation between London and the Colonies, expanding territories, a distinct Colonial identity, and political conflicts combined to prompt the Revolution.

View animated battle maps from every major skirmish of the American Civil War.

Abolitionists shaped American history from the Revolution to the Civil War

Abolitionists of all backgrounds organized against slavery from the founding era onward. Historian Manisha Sinha argues that their decades of activism fundamentally shaped American democracy and made emancipation possible.

Riveting artwork from the battlefields during World War I

During World War I, the United States government commissioned eight artists to accompany American Expeditionary Forces to Europe to sketch and document what they saw. Drawing tanks, soldiers, shattered villages, and even German prisoners of war, the artists preserved much of the war as a matter of historical record and to rally support back home.

Listen to firsthand accounts of how Black Americans fought to end slavery and shape Reconstruction

This podcast explores the actions of Black Americans who fought for freedom before, during, and after the Civil War—highlighting their key role in abolition and the Reconstruction era.

Hear about the individuals who have reshaped the Constitution throughout American history

This multi-episode podcast series from The Washington Post explores how debates, court decisions, and influential individuals have shaped the Constitution as Americans pushed the nation to live up to its founding ideals.

The history of the British Empire—all in a single take

This video delivers a rapid, rhyming walk-through of the British Empire—filmed in one continuous shot aboard a sailing ship and featuring costumed actors portraying figures from Sir Francis Drake to Pocahontas.

See a timeline of colonial settlement in North America.

See rare Civil War photographs preserved by the National Archives

The Civil War was the first major American conflict documented by a camera, with its images distributed widely to the public. The National Archives' digital collection offers thousands of original Civil War images: portraits, battlefields, hospitals, and everyday life.

Shays' rebellion pitted rebel veterans against the Revolution's leaders

The Revolutionary War led to independence and significant debt for most states. In 1786, a group of veterans and farmers from western Massachusetts protested against the state government’s increased taxes. Led by Daniel Shays, the group attempted to capture an armory in Springfield but failed.

See the army generals who helped define the Civil War

Hear profiles of the Union and Confederate commanders whose choices defined the war's outcome—from Grant and Lee to Sherman, Jackson, and others. See how their actions, tactics, and skills shaped the Civil War.

Hear experts discuss how religion has shaped American life

Produced by the National Museum of American Religion, this podcast examines how religion has shaped America and how America has influenced religion—covering topics from the Nation of Islam and rock 'n' roll to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with scholars and everyday citizens as guides.

Emanuel Leutze's painting 'Washington Crossing the Delaware' is one of the defining images of the Revolutionary War.

See a timeline of the Declaration's creation

This National Archives timeline walks through the Declaration’s creation step by step—from early calls for independence to drafting, approval, and final signatures—highlighting the key moments that led to the Colonies’ break from Britain.

A visual summary of WWI

This animated video summarizes the "Great War"—World War I—tracing its progression through Europe, detailing the rise of nationalism in the middle of the 19th century until the signing of the peace treaties after 1918. This 18-minute provides a year-to-year accounting of the war with various helpful insights along the way.

One Day in America series reveals the full timeline and human toll of 9/11

This National Geographic episode reconstructs the events of 9/11—highlighting the Pentagon attack, Flight 93 hijacking, South Tower collapse, and rescue efforts—offering a detailed, chronological account of how the day unfolded.

Meet the hidden Americans

Who represents America? This stunning interactive photo essay by Dutch artist Robin de Puy reveals a world many in the mainstream US do not see. She traveled thousands of miles to document the stories of individuals across the country, compiling them in dozens of episodes spread across three parts, revealing the messy nuances of everyday life for everyday people. Search the index or click through episode to episode in this spectacular project.

Hear the stories of some of the 577 people enslaved at Mount Vernon

Washington inherited his first slaves at age 11 and enslaved 123 people at the time of his death. This eight-part podcast traces the lives of eight of them, using their stories to examine how slavery complicates Washington's legacy today.

Native voices share their histories along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail

Tribal historians recount their peoples' histories and perspectives on the Lewis and Clark expedition, offering an Indigenous narrative of the lands, encounters, and legacies that shaped the journey.

The National Archives protects billions of historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.

This "60 Minutes" segment takes viewers behind the scenes at the National Archives, showcasing how experts use conservation science, security, and technology to preserve cornerstone records—such as the original Declaration of Independence—for future generations.

The Americans abandoned Philadelphia to the British in 1777.

Explore new and contemporary perspectives with Emerging Civil War

Emerging Civil War brings together historians and writers who offer fresh research, essays, and battlefield stories that uncover overlooked events, people, and places—showing that scholarship on the war is still evolving over 160 years later.

Hear the untold colonial backstories of the British Museum’s most famous artifacts

This podcast from VICE’s Unfiltered History Tour visits the British Museum’s prized objects through accounts from experts and communities from which they were taken.

See the documents that shaped the Declaration before it was written

This Library of Congress collection comprises early arguments for Colonial rights, protests against British authority, draft constitutions, and multiple working drafts of the Declaration of Independence. It traces the ideas and language that preceded the final document adopted in 1776.

British royal history from a literal bird's-eye view

Learn the history of British monarchs going back centuries with this unusual, 50-minute documentary filmed entirely from the air, revealing key landmarks in beautiful footage alongside engaging commentary.

Washington's military acumen and political judgment were crucial to the Continental Army's success

In this podcast, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Rick Atkinson argues that Washington's endurance, strategic communication, political judgment, and ability to elevate capable subordinates proved decisive, in sharp contrast to the failures of British leadership during the war.

Hear about the rivalries and unlikely figures that defined the space race

American History Tellers explores the space race across four episodes, tracing stories from Wernher von Braun's push to turn missiles into rockets to the intrigue surrounding Apollo 11 and the moon landing that symbolized the race's end.

The federal government's decision to pay off the states' Revolutionary War debts required a new tax, which sparked an armed rebellion. 

The Revolution split the Iroquois Confederacy, as members allied with different sides.

On the role of 'Citizenship In A Republic'

After finishing a Smithsonian-sponsored expedition to East Africa, US President Theodore Roosevelt stopped by Paris and gave a speech about the responsibilities an ordinary citizen has to their republic. Citizens must know there is no effort without error, knowing they "fail while daring greatly" in pursuit of a truly democratic republic. This podcast series on powerful speeches across history is written and narrated by historian and author Jon Meacham.

A timeline of the Stamp Act crisis from the view of Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg's timeline situates the act within the local political culture of Virginia: colonists accustomed to taxing themselves through their own representatives in Williamsburg's House of Burgesses were outraged that Parliament could reach into their pockets from across the ocean. The timeline also covers Patrick Henry's proposed "Resolves," which prompted shouts of "treason" from his co-legislators, as well as commemorative objects (buttons, teapots) that followed the repeal.

Hear how the world reacted to the American Civil War

European nations closely watched the Civil War for its economic and political consequences. Some European nations quietly engaged diplomatically with the Confederacy but withheld recognition. When the Union made slavery's abolition a central cause, European public opinion turned sharply against the South.

A global interactive guide to the first world war

Using rarely seen films, new reports of the day, and interactive maps, 10 historians provide a summarized history of the Great War, World War I. During the course of this half hour film, get a variety of insights and perspectives on the so-called "war to end war" and its long-reaching effects.

A 103-episode podcast offers an unmatched deep dive into the Russian Revolution

After covering the entire history of Rome, historian Mike Duncan devoted Season 10 of his Revolutions podcast to Russia, producing 103 episodes that trace the origins, upheaval, and aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Start with Episode 10.1 — The International Working Men’s Association.

Opposition to British taxes, regulation of trade was key to American independence

The economic situation in the colonies formed the backbone of the central events of the Revolution. British war debts caused it to lay the first direct taxes on colonists, cease their westward expansion claims, and adhere to stringent trade regulations, leading to backlash and eventual separation.

Explore the social and cultural history of the Mexican-American War

Historian Peter Guardino joins host Don Wildman to explore how the war shaped ordinary lives on both sides of the border. Drawing from The Dead March, the episode reveals how culture, class, and ideology shaped the conflict and its consequences.

The 1783 peace treaty with Britain formally ended the Revolutionary War and nearly doubled the size of the United States.

Explore rare artifacts from the archives at Mount Vernon

This series from Washington's Presidential Library showcases rare books, maps, letters, and artifacts from his collection. It illuminates how he learned, governed, traveled, and understood the world around him.